Ximena pulled up to my house and both of us were surprised to see Aiden parked out front. Ximena frowned. "Does he come to visit you often?" She asked.

I shrugged. "He's come a couple of times since Colton died to check on me."

She stared at him like she would set him on fire with her eyes if she could.

"Thanks for the ride," I said.

"I think I should come in," she said.

The way she spoke was mechanical and unnatural but I wasn't going to deny her. "Um, okay."

We walked up the sidewalk and Aiden got out of his car. I sensed bad blood between Aiden and Ximena as they didn't smile or look directly at each other.

"Ximena," Aiden acknowledged with a nod. "What are you two up to?"

"We're kicking' it over here," Ximena said, coolly.

He stared deadpan and then his face broke into a laugh.

"I don't get what's funny," Ximena said.

He stopped abruptly and his eyes were intense with detest. "Since when do the two of you hang out?"

"Since when the f*ck does it matter to you?" She met his eyes with equal shade.

"I just thought Ehlana had taste and class when it came to picking friends."

"If that were true trash like you wouldn't be drifting over here," she said.

"Great," I said, "now that we've established my taste in friends is classless and trashy you can both leave."

Aiden pouted and stepped closer to me while Ximena moved closer to my shoulder like she was my bodyguard.

"I'm not leaving you alone with this dogg."

"Great. You can be the third wheel," Aiden said.

"If I throw a stick will you leave?" Ximena said.

"You know what? I like the way you try," Aiden said. "You try to be smart with that seventh grade education. You try to be sexy by dancing with the younger tricks. Just because you can make a satisfying snack doesn't mean I'm going to suck up to you."

"So you admit I make a satisfying snack?"

"I'm looking for a meal to satisfy my appetite." He looked at me and heat went through my loins. How wrong of me to desire him. He was obviously a jerk, and I couldn't forget Colton so quickly. I would never see him again but I couldn't move on to Aiden.

"You know what you two? I need to be alone right now. I need a shower after my long walk," I said.

Aiden lifted his chin with a crestfallen expression which made me want to comfort him, but I couldn't with Ximena watching.

"I'm not leaving until he does," Ximena said.

"Ok, well, I'm going inside. I appreciate everything, Ximena. Aiden, I'll see you later." I turned and went inside and took a warm shower thinking about Aiden with his hands around me as I washed myself. What would it be like if he were there, washing me, pressing his chest to my back? I let the warm water run over me for a long time. Finally, I got out, dried myself, and picked new clothes.

There was a knock at the door. I opened it to see Aiden standing there with a fierce desire in his eyes. "I drove around the block and waited until she left," he said.

He launched himself forward, wrapping his arms around me. We gazed into each other's eyes, awkwardly. He leaned his head in and held it there waiting for me to close the gap, but I couldn't. I would be cheating on Colton. I stared, longingly. Aiden placed his lips on mine and I kissed back, closing my eyes and thinking of Colton. Aiden pulled back as if to check my reaction and be sure I was enjoying it. He seemed reassured and lifted me off the floor, kissing me again while walking into my room where he threw me onto my bed.

All of my feelings of hollowness since Colton's death were momentarily forgotten as Aiden filled that hole, even if Aiden wasn't him, there was the void of physical touch that was beautiful and breathtaking. A temporary euphoria I knew wouldn't last, but right this moment he was there and he was real.

His hands traveled over my clothes, then under, and without realizing how quickly we had gotten to this point we were undressed and tumbling over each other under the covers. He stiffened his body as he pumped into my hot core. I closed my eyes and he was Colton, the man I longed for. This was what it would have been like if we would have made it to the lake that night. The smooth feel of his skin rubbing on mine, and his hard shaft ramrodding between my legs, and then hearing his breath hitch as he reached his climax.

He rolled off and laid beside me, staring at the ceiling. I rolled away from him and laid on my side, still fantasizing about Colton. He would have told me he loved me and held me all night. Aiden rolled behind me, putting his arm around my middle, and breathing into my hair. We laid like that for a long while. I wasn't sure how Aiden felt about me and I didn't care much. He didn't say how he felt and he didn't seem to be the type that talked about his feelings even if he did care for someone, but the physical attention he gave was heavenly, and I imagined it was exactly the way Colton would have treated me.

The front door opened.

We jumped up, sifting through our pile of clothes and throwing them on as fast as we could, but Mom came around the hall and saw us frantically dressing, wearing only our underwear with the door wide open. I thought my heart would thump out of my chest.

She stood in the doorway, gaping. Aiden continued to dress while I sat on the bed draping the blanket over myself. "What the actual hell?" She said. "I thought you had better sense than this, Ehlana." Her eyes turned to daggers as she looked at Aiden. "You get out of this house, you user!"

Aiden pulled his shirt down over his abs and looked at her without a care.

"User?" I repeated. "He's not a user!" I wanted to say I was using him to feel like I was still with Colton, but that wouldn't be good or nice to admit to either of them.

"Oh, you think he loves you?" Mom asked. "You think he'll marry you when he can get the milk for free, you cow?"

I gasped. Aiden's eyes widened as he looked from her to me.

I thought about all the men she had brought home to screw. I stood up letting the blanket fall to the floor and put my face in her face, wearing only my bra and underwear. "How the f*ck are you preaching to me right now? I'm a cow? Really? Well, maybe I'm only following your example, you dirty, useless, pathetic excuse for a mother!" Her eyes widened as I slammed the door in her face and swiveled around to finish putting my clothes on.

Aiden stood awkwardly like he didn't know what he should say. I assumed he wanted me to give him permission to leave so he didn't feel bad for going his own way after our sexual appetites had been fulfilled.

I sat on my bed. I couldn't stay in my room the rest of the evening, and I couldn't stay in the living room with Mom. I needed to get out of the house. "You can go, Aiden."

"What are you going to do?"

"Maybe I'll go see Erik, Colton's foster brother."

"Why?"

"Because, I need to get out of here. Maybe he knows who followed Colton and I."

"Are you still hunting for Colton's killer?"

"Yes."

"Ehlana, you need to give this up."

"Why?"

"Because it's dangerous."

I didn't care if it was dangerous. I wanted to solve this mystery and perhaps find Tyler while I was doing it. "You're looking out for me," I said, brushing him off.

"You don't know everything there is to know about Colton and Erik."

"Why don't you tell me, then?" I said. He clenched his teeth like he had a hard time telling me. "What could possibly be that hard to talk about?"

"You know Erik is gay?"

"Yes," I rolled my eyes as this was no secret. I glanced over in Aiden's direction and noticed he still looked tight lipped like he was holding back. "Did Eric have a crush on Colton?" I asked.

He raised his eyebrows. It was a yes, but it seemed there was more he wasn't saying. He wanted me to guess so he wouldn't be responsible for giving away Erik's secrets, I assumed. The only other thing I could think of was that Erik and Colton had been a thing, but that was unfathomable. The knowing expression Aiden gave pushed me to ask. "They dated?"

He shook his head.

"Am I getting warm?"

He nodded.

"They... had sex?"

He shook his head.

"They kissed?"

He nodded.

I would never have guessed Colton was bisexual. This led me to question, since Colton was living with Erik while we were dating was he faithful to me? "Did he cheat on me?"

Aiden shrugged.

"You can't not tell me, Aiden!" I pulled my eyebrows together in anger. If Erik was jealous of me and Colton gave him motive to kill him.

"You'll have to ask Erik."

We got into Aiden's car, a black Subaru Impreza. On our way to Erik's we stopped for gas. As Aiden pumped gas I opened the glove compartment and took a peek at the registration to see who owned it. It was registered under William Eubanks. Just as Ximena said, William provided for his gang.

We pulled up to Colton's foster parents house. I had never been inside but I had seen the outside when Colton had forgotten his wallet and had to go back to retrieve it. There was a chain link fence around the front yard, and the outside was red brick and old.

I recalled Colton mentioning his foster parents didn't allow him to bring friends inside. Aiden took off his seatbelt and I reached and touched his arm. "I don't think we're allowed inside. Maybe Erik can come out here."

"Naw, his foster parents aren't there. Both their cars are gone. Let's go."

Erik answered the door. "Sup?" He said.

Aiden shoulder checked Erik on his way in. Erik didn't say anything leading me to believe Aiden was in charge and Erik accepted his place as a lower rank in the gang.

There were three other boys playing video games in the living room. Two middle school aged boys and one high school aged.

"Whose the new guy?" Aiden said.

"You know social services," Erik said. "They replaced Colton with that corn hole." He tilted his head toward the high school boy.

I had thought about asking to see Colton's room where I could get the chance to see his things, but a new foster kid had already taken Colton's place. "How can they replace him like that?" I said. I was seething. "Was his bed even cold before they put a new kid in it?"

"My foster parents don't get paid for empty beds. They had to find another warm body."

No wonder Colton couldn't stand being there. He got up early in the morning and left and didn't return until late at night to sleep there.

"Is the new guy buttering your corn?" Aiden smirked.

Erik's eyes flicked to me and then back to Aiden. He knew Aiden had told me something. "Mother f*cker, what'd you come here for? I know you aren't interested in whose nibbling my corn cob, so what's the deal?"

"Colton's girl wants an explanation," Aiden spoke with anger. His tone was threatening and even though I thought Erik would be intimidated and cower before him he instead became angry in return and didn't back down.

"She wants an explanation for what?" Erik glared at me.

I wanted to cut in and say that Aiden was overdramatizing the situation but Aiden dominated the conversation and cut in.

"Were the two of you f*cking while they were dating?" Aiden said.

"If you're so concerned about it why didn't you ask Colton when he was still alive?" Erik said.

"Just answer the question," Aiden said.

"I don't owe you any explanations so you can see your way out if that's all you came for," Erik said.

Aiden pulled out a chair from the kitchen table and sat in it. "I'm not going anywhere, Slim Beaty." This nick name was genius because Erik's last name was Beaty and it rhymed with Slim Shady, also known as Marshal Mathers whom Erik aimed to be like. "Where did you go after Colton and Ehlana left the party?"

"Why the f*ck would you ask me that, like I need to provide an alibi when we already know who did it?"

"We do?" Aiden said. "I'd like to know who you're referring to."

"Who?" I asked, trying to cut into their conversation, but Erik ignored me, staring into Aiden's eyes like he was ready to tear him limb from limb.

"Your ass is so execrated right now—" Erik said.

Aiden chuckled "Ooo, execrated! Such a big word for someone who's been a Freshman for three years in a row."

"Execrated for what?" I asked, but the boys acted like I was invisible.

"You're avoiding the question," Aiden said. "Where did you go after they left the party?"

"I went to Mateo's, and then the police showed up asking questions," he said. "But you already knew that."

Aiden had nothing to say to this giving me a chance to ask more questions.

"Erik, who do you think it is?" I said. Erik said nothing. "Erik, c'mon, I'm begging."

"If I told you, I'd have to kill you," Erik said with ice in his voice that made the hairs on the back of my neck raise. Erik strode to the hallway and said over his shoulder, "we never f*cked. And he never cheated on you." He continued into the hall until I couldn't see him anymore. There was the sound of a door closing which I assumed he had locked himself in his bedroom to get away from Aiden.